Imagine this: Ohio State wins the Leaders Division of the Big Ten and is preparing for the conference’s inaugural championship game on Dec. 3. Meanwhile, after Ohio State’s request for an expedited ruling on the failure-to-monitor charge announced on Thursday, the NCAA issues a bowl ban.

If the Big Ten has a contingency plan for such a circumstance, it isn’t saying.

“We’ve been pretty consistent,” Big Ten spokesman Scott Chipman said. “We do not comment until the process has concluded.”

The Big Ten announced earlier this fall that any team ineligible for a bowl cannot play in its championship game. The next scheduled NCAA Committee on Infractions hearing date is Dec. 10 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

But Ohio State, in its cover letter to the NCAA responding to the failure-to-monitor charge against it, requested that the NCAA enforcement staff submit its case review by Nov. 17. OSU also asked to have its hearing via teleconference the week of Nov. 28, the same week as the championship game.

Ohio State also requested that the NCAA issue a ruling as “as soon thereafter as possible.” It would be highly unusual for the NCAA to rule within days, but it is conceivable.

Ohio State officials would not comment, but a source familiar with the NCAA enforcement process said it would be contrary to precedent for Ohio State to receive a bowl ban for the failure-to-monitor charge. Ohio State docked itself a total of five scholarships over the next three years in hopes of heading off further penalties.

“I think that Ohio State’s self-imposed penalties are very consistent with their (the NCAA’s) prior decisions on this case,” Buckner said.

A similar case in 2007 involved Oklahoma. Two Sooners football players were found to have received money for phantom part-time jobs. The NCAA took away two scholarships as Oklahoma’s penalty.

Receiver out

Receiver Corey Brown did not travel to West Lafayette, Ind., for today’s game against Purdue.

Receivers coach Stan Drayton said that in practice this week, Brown tweaked the ankle he sprained on Sept. 10 against Toledo. Brown missed three games because of the sprain. Despite that, Brown still leads all Buckeyes wide receivers with 11 catches.

Brown’s absence leaves the Buckeyes’ already-thin receiving corps even more short-handed. Sophomore Chris Fields is expected to start. The only other scholarship receivers are freshmen Devin Smith, Evan Spencer and T.Y. Williams.